Fluid burner and safety appliance therefor



Feb. 25, 1930. J. PARARRA FLUID BURNER AND SAFETY APPLIANCE THEREFOR 2Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. :50. 1-927 INVENTOR.

Bar-arch:

Juliuv- ATTORNEY Feb. 25, 1930.

J. PARARRA FLUID BURNER AND SAFETY APPLIANCE THEREFOR 2 Sheets-Sheet 2Filed Dec) 30. 1927 lllflllllrtlv.

/lllllflll/A INVENTOR Juliuw Paz-arra A TTORNEY Patented Feb. 25, 1930PATENT OFFICE JULIUS PABARRA, or narnenroarr, eomrncrrcu'r FLUID BURNERAND SAFETY APPLIANCE THEREFOR Application filed December 80, 1927.Serial No. 248,609.

This invention relates to fluid burners of the type having safetyappliances adapted to the pur ose of automatically shuttin off the flowoi fluid to'a burner element w "ch 5 becomes extinguished.

An object of the invention is to rovide a fluid burner the fluid supplyline 0 which is normally closed, and a safety appliance associated withsaid fluid burner and having various features which are of novel andimproved construction. w

A further object is to provide a fluid burner including a plurality ofburner elements and having a normally closed fluid supply line, and asafety appliance of the present character associated with said fluidburner and with all of its burner elements in a novel and improvedmanner.

With the above objects in View, as well as others which will appear asthe specification proceeds, the invention comprises the construction,arrangement and combination of parts as now to be fully described and ashereinafter to be specifically claimed, it being understood that thedisclosure herein is merely illustrative and intended in no way in alimiting sense, changes in details of construction and arrangement ofparts being permissible so long as within the spirit of the inventionand the scope of the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification,

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a gas stove including'a plurality of burnerelements, disclosing a safety appliance having the features of theinvention associated with said gas stove;

of the gas stove as seen from the right in Fig. 2 is an enlargedfragmentary end view.

the operating parts of the safety appliance associated with said controlvalve, said opera-ting parts being positioned as when the control valveis open Fig. 5 is a view corresponding with the disclosure of Fig. 4,but showing the operating parts of the safety appliance positioned aswhen the control valve in the fluid supply line is closed;

Fig. 6 is a sectional detail of the means for mounting the actuatinglever for the fluid su 'ply line control valve;

ig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view, taken on line 7--7 in Fig. 4,detailing the ball runway of the balance member of the operating 66-mechanism of the safety appliance;

Fig. 8 is a view, partially in section and partially in elevation,detailing the control valve for the pilot of the gas stove and themechanism associated with the cock for the 7 center burner element foroperating said pilot control valve;

9 is an enlarged sectional view, taken on llne 99 in Fig. 1, detailingthe tubular connection between the center burner and each end burner;and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view of a safetyappliance in which the principles of the invention are incorporated,parts of the operating mechanism of said safety appliance being ofmodified form and being positioned as when the fluid supply line controlvalve is open.

, With'respect to the drawings and the numerals of reference thereon, 10represents a 8 gas stove having burner elements 11, 12 and 13 ofordinary or preferred construction and a pilot burner element 14, and 15designates a gas supply line leading to said elements 11, 12, 13 and 14via connections denoted 16, 17 18 and 19. Cocks 20, 21 and 22 of anywell known construction control the passage of gas from the line 15through the connections 16, 17 and 18, respectively, to the burnerelements 11, 12 and 13, andthe cook 21 for the center burner element hasa cam arm'23 for controlling, in a manner to be described, the passageof gas from said line 15 through the connection 19 to the pilot burnerelement 14. The burner elements 11, 12 and 13 are, as dis- Figs. 1 and3.

closedi of the usual ring shape and are supporte upon the gas stove inthe customary manner. Numeral 24 denotes gas perforations of said burnerelements 11, 12 and 13. The pilot 14 is a tube extending in generalhorizontal direction across the burnerelement 12, the outer end portionof said tube being supported in a small bracket 25 upon the burnerelement 12, and the free end of the tube desirably terminating in linewith the perforations of said burner element. See

The connection 19 between the fluid'supply line 15 and the ilot 14includes a housing 26 for a control va Ve 27 for said ilot. As disclosedmore clearly in Fig. 8, t e housing 26 includes a chamber 28communicated with by a part of the connection 19 leading from the line15, a chamber 29 opening to the pilot 14, and a horizontal wall 30between said chambers 28 and 29 and having a port 31 which the valve 27,within the chamber 29, is adapted to cover. A stem 32 upon said valve 27and extending freely upwardly through the port 31 and the chamber 28, iscarried by a stud 33 having a vertical sliding fit in the housing. Acoil spring 34 about the stem 32, in the chamber 28, having its oppositeends in engagement with the wall 30 and the lower end of the stud,respectively, is adapted to seat the valve 27 and cause the upper end ofsaid stud to engage the lower part of the cam face 35 of the cam arm 23when the cook 21 is in the closed position of the burner element 12, andthe higher part of said cam face 35 is adapted to force said studdownwardly against the action of the coil spring 34 to move said valve27 to open position when said cock is manipulated to allow flow of gasfrom the line 15 through the connection 17 to the center burner element12. Also see Fig. 3. Preferably, the cam arm 23 is set to open flowthrough the pilot 14 slightly ahead of the flow of gas to the centerburner element.

A control valve 36 in the gas supply line 15 is adapted to normallyclose said supply line, and is adapted to be maintained in position toallow the gas supply line to be open, through the instrumentality of asafety appliance, represented generally at 37.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 4 and 5, the gas supply line 15 includesa suitable housmg 38, constructed and incorporated in said gas supplyline in any convenient manner, and said housing 38 includes a wall 39havmg a gas flow port 40 provided with a beveled seat 41 which thecontrol valve 36 is adapted to engage to cover said gas flow port. Theupper portion of a valve stem 42, upon which said valve 36 is fixed, issuitably'gulded 111 a spider 43 situated in the housing 38, and thelower portion of said valve stem 42 is guided in a wall 44 of thehousing below the valve seat. A' coil spring 45 about the upper portionof the valve stem and having its opposite ends engaging the spider andthe valve 36, respectively, serves to normally hold the valve e ressedagainst the seat 41, to thus fut ofi'the flow of gas through the supplylne.

The operating parts of the safety appli ance 37 for maintainin the valvestem 42 elevated against the action of the spring 45, to thus hold thecontrol valve 36 off its seat and allow flow of gas through the supplyline 15 to the gas cooks. for the burner elements, are situated in asuitably constructed casing 46 secured upon a projecting, portion 47 ofthe housing 38 as by small bolts 48.

Of said operating parts, 49 is a lever for actuating the control valve36. As disclosed more clearly in Figs. 4, 5 and 6, the lever 49 extendsthrough an opening 50 between the interior of the housing 38 and theinterior of the casing 46. A frustro-conical bearing 51 fixed upon saidlever 49 intermediate its ends is. mounted in said projecting portion 47in such manner as to provide a gas seal between the housing and casingand to allow free pivotal or swinging movement of the adjacent endportion 52 of the lever 49 toward and away from the valve stem 42, saidend portion 52 being adapted to engage the lower end of said valve stemand lift the same from the position as disclosed in Fig. 5 to that asdisclosed in Fig. 4, against the action of the coil spring 45.- The endportion of said lever 49 opposite the control valve is provided with adownwardly disposed hook 53.

The construction includes manually manipulatable means for moving thehook end portion of the actuating lever in direction to cause the endportion 52 to push the valve stem 42 to lift the control valve 36 fromits seat, and also includes automatically actuatable mechanism adaptedto maintain said control 'valve in the position to which lifted by saidmanual means only when a part of said automatic mechanism is being actedupon by heat generated by the burning of fluid at a-burner element.

Of said manual means and automatic means, 54 is a balance memberpivotally supported in any convenient way, as at 55, u on the base ofthe casing 46, and 56'is a all adapted to roll upon a suitable runway 57of said balance member, said ball 56 being capable of moving along saidrunway 57 from a position against the spring 58 upon the outer end wallof said runway (opposite the lever 49) to position against a cross-bar59 of said runway between the pivot and said lever 49, pro erably closeto said pivot). See Figs. 4,5 and 7.

A trigger member 60 pivotally mounted upon the base of the casing 46, asat 61, between the balance member 54 and the lever 49, is provided witha trigger'62 adapt-ed to engage with the hook 53 of the lever 49, and

said trigger member is weighted at the side of its p1vot opposite thetrigger, as indicated at 63, to insure that said trigger can posltionitself for positive engagement with said hook. At the side of theweighted part 63 opposite the trigger 62 said trigger member hasa'finger 64 situated above and adapted to be engaged and elevated by afinger 65 upon the inner end of the balance member 54 when said balancemember moves from its position as in Fig. 4 to its position as in Fig. 5in a manner to be set forth. Note that in Fig. 4 the finger 65 is inspaced relation to the finger 64.

An extension 66 upon the inner end of the balance member and above thefinger 65 carries a finger piece 67 situated directly beneath an openingin the upper wall of the casing 46, and said opening is covered by ahinged lid 68.

A suitable bracket 69, secured upon the top wall of the casing 46 in anyconvenient manner, supports a mercury bulb 70 from which a downwardlyopening neck or tube 71 extends, said neck or tube passlng throu h thebracket and through an opening 72 in t e top wall of the casing. Thelower end or mouth of the neck or tube 71 enters a mercury cup 73supported in any convenient way upon the inner portion of the balancemember; that 73 to hold the ball 56 overbalanced when positioned as inFig. 4. Upon manual movement of the finger piece downwardly, the hook 53is made to be caught by the trigger 62 and the weight 63 of the triggermember insures engagement between the trigger and hook so long as theball remains overbalanced to hold the balance member in its position ofFig. 4, the action of the coil s ring 45 tending to close the valvebeing in ireotion forcing the weight of the trigger member a ainst thebase of the casing 46, as will be c ear from said Fig. 4. I

Upon the flame at the pilot becoming extinguished, the merour bulb willcool off within a ver few secon s, mercury will, naturally, be li tedfrom the mercury cup to the bulb as the air and mercury in the bulbcontract, and the ball 56 will overbalance said mercury cup thuslightened and move from its position of Fig. 4 to its position of Fig.5, causing the inner endof the balance member to be elevated, aswill beobvious, and the-finger 65 of the balance member to in the meantimestrike against the finger 64 of the trigger member to lift the weight ofsaid member and remove the trigger 62 from the hook 53, thus allowingthe coil spring 45 to act to move the control valve to closed position.Thereafter, the control valve 36 can only be opened by is to say,supported upon the end portion 0f manually depressing the finger piece67, the

the balance member between its pivot 55 and the trigger member 60. Adesirable shape of the mercury cup 73 is best disclosed in Figs. 3, 4and 5. A protector for the mercury bulb 70 i may be the mesh cover 74disclosed.

A tube or pipe 75 supported upon the bracket 69, as. at 76, has one ofits endsopening adjacent the pilot 14 and its other end opening adjacentthe mercury bulb 70. See Figs. 1 and 3.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 9, I have there shown tubular members 77,supported in any suitable way, between the center burner and each endburner, the ends of each tubular member being situated closely adjacentthe burner perforations.

Supposing the operating parts ofthe safety appliance are situated as inFig. 5, the control valve 36 being closed, and it is desired to lightthe gas stove, the center cock 21 is turned on, to thus turn on thepilot a little in advance of the main flow to the center burner, the lid68 is thrown upon its hinge away from the opening above the finger piece67, said finger piece is depressed from its position in Fig. 5'

to position below that shown in Fig. 4 while a flame is being applied tothe pilot or the center burner, and said finger piece is held depressedfor a perlod, a few seconds, until the flame at the pilot, acting uponthe mercury bulb through the tube or pipe 75, has expanded the air andmercury in said bulb and forced a suflicient amount of mercurydown fromthe bulb through the tube 71 to the mercury cup mercury in the bulb 70being of insufiicient weight, even should all of it enter the cup 73, tooverbalance the ball when in position at the outer end of the runway asin Fig. 5.

Manual means and automatic mechanism of modified construction, forlifting the control valve and for maintaining said valve lifted, aredisclosed in Fig. 10. As here shown, the end portion? 8 (opposite thecontrol valve) of the lever 49 has a finger piece 79 situated beneath anopening in the casing wall covered by a hinged lid 80.

Numeral 81 represents a mercury bulb supported upon the casing in themanner as already described and provided with a downwardly opening neckor tube 82 having its lower end or mouth situated in a mercury cup 83,preferably of rectilinear configuration, stationarily positioned uponthe base of the casmg.

An insulating block 84, fixed to the-base of the casing, has spacedcontacts, denoted 85 and 86, adapted to be engaged by a contact bridge87 upon the end portiOn 78.

A magnet 88 upon the base of the casing has a core situated adjacentsaid end portion 78 when in elevated position and adapted to be engagedby said end portion when depressed. Lead wires to said magnet, denoted89 and 90, are from the contact 86 and a contact 91 passing through awall of the cup 83in spaced relation to the base of the cup.

. Lead wires 92 and 93 are from a source ofelectric energy (not shown),the former go- 78 intovengagement with the core of the magnet andthebridge 87 into engagement with the contacts 85 and 86, and saidfinger piece is held depressed until the flame has forced vber beingadapted to mg esaid tri germemberto remove said hoo rom said ook endportion, and mechanism adapted, when acted upon by heat generated by theburning of gas atsaid burner, to render said balance member incapable ofactuatingsaid trigger member.

2. The combination with a gasburner, a supply line therefor, and acontrol valve for said supply line adapted to normally shut oil the flowof gas through said supply line to said gas burner, of a safetyappliance coma sufficient amount of mercury to pass from\l)risingmanually manipulatable means for the bulb 81 into the cup 83 to coverboth of contacts 91 and 94. The magnet 88 is now energized, the flow ofcurrent from lead wire 92 to the magnet being via contact 85, bridge 87,contact 86, and lead wire 89 and from the I 'magnet back to lead wire 93via lead wire'90,

Contact 91, the mercury, and contact 94. Thus the end portion 78 is helddepressed against the action of the coil spring.

. When the flame at the pilot becomes extinguished and the mercury bulbcools to cause 5 mercury to be lifted from the cup 83 to the bulb, theconnection between the contacts 91 and 94 is broken as soon as themercury level in the cup 83 falls below the'contact 91, and the magnet,as a consequence, then becomes de-energized. Now the coil spring acts tomove the control valve to closed position and to remove the end portions78 of the lever- 49 and the bridge 87 of said end portion away from themagnet core and the contacts 85 and 0 86 while the mercury is beingheated to reach the level of the contact 91.

What I claim is: 1. The combination with a gas burner, a supply linetherefor, and a control valve for said supply line adapted to normallyshut OK the flow of gas through said supply line to said gas burner, ofa safety appliance comprising manually manipulatable means for movingsaid control valve to the open posltion of said supply line, saidmanually manipulatable means comprising a lever having a hook endportion, and a balance member adapted to be actuated to move said hookend portion in a direction to cause said lever to open said controlvalve, a pivotally mounted trigger member between said lever and saidbalance member, said trigger member including a hook at one side of thepivot for said trigger member adapted to engage said hook end portion,and the portion of said trigger member at the side of its pivot oppositesaid lever being sufiiciently heavy to insure holding engagement betweensaid hook and said hook end portion maintaining said control valve inopen position, said balance memmoving said control valve to the openpositionof said supply line, said manually manipulatable meanscomprising a lever, and a balance member adapted to be actuated to causesaid lever to open said control valve, a pivotally mounted triggerbetween said lever and said balance member including an end portionadapted to engage said lever to maintain said control valve in openposition, said balance member being adapted to actuate said triggermember to allow said control valve to close, and mechanism forcontrolling the capability of said balance member tov so actuate saidtrigger member, said mechanism being adapted, when acted upon by heatgenerated by the burning of gas at said burner, to render said balancemember incapable of so actuating said trigger member, and being adapted,upon the dissipation of said'heat, to permit said balance member tosoactuate said trigger member.

Signed at Bridgeport, in the county of Fairfield, and State ofConnecticut, this 28th day of; December, A. D. 1927.

' JULIUS 'PARARRA.

